At the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek‘s 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill, Christian Apetz is welcoming and charming, and the fact that he takes the time to come out and chat with the guests makes what could be just another meal in a ski area hotel — a 60-second walk to the first lift, and also a great place to stay if you’re headed here in the summer to mountain bike — into a welcoming and charming experience.

Of course, the fact that Apetz’s menu is packed with dishes that you actually want to eat keeps it from being ho-hum resort fare, as well. I love me some French food, but the last regime was a little, shall we say, tightly wound. The food was pricey, sure, but you also had to choose carefully or wind up with something overwrought and cranky. It made the staff uptight, too, as though they were always waiting for something to go wrong.

The pursuit of a healthier state through better living. The Denver Post's ColoradoFit blog features local experts on the latest fitness trends, active lifestyles and nutrition options in Colorado and beyond.